A two-alarm fire at the Elkridge Club in the 6100 block of N. Charles St. last night caused extensive damage to the upper floors of the main building and slightly damaged several pieces of antique furniture and paintings, many of which date to the early 1800s.The main building, which is at least 130 years old, sits on several hundred acres and is surrounded by a golf course, tennis courts, evergreen trees and out-buildings, was the home of Augustus W. Bradford, governor of Maryland during the Civil War.The grounds straddle the line between Baltimore County and the city at North Charles Street and Lake Avenue.

Visit the Hays House Museum on Sunday, March 11, at 1 p.m. for a rare opportunity to closely examine the timeless furniture at home in Bel Air's oldest house. The inaugural event of the Preserving our Past series at the Hays House features local furniture restoration expert Arthur Benser, who will engage visitors in a discussion about the historic construction and provenance of the major pieces in each room. The presentation also includes ways to determine the age of a piece of furniture through design and types of construction.

Aunt Tilly finally decided to give you that old dining room set you always loved, but countless family get-togethers have taken their toll. Or maybe you spotted a great antique credenza at a secondhand store, and its worn-out, scratched finish has you thinking twice. There are many reasons for refinishing older and antique furnishings. Whatever they are, there's no doubt refinishing or restoration can be an environmentally friendly and economical way to give older tables, chairs, chests and sideboards a new lease on life.

Aunt Tilly finally decided to give you that old dining room set you always loved, but countless family get-togethers have taken their toll. Or maybe you spotted a great antique credenza at a secondhand store, and its worn-out, scratched finish has you thinking twice. There are many reasons for refinishing older and antique furnishings. Whatever they are, there's no doubt refinishing or restoration can be an environmentally friendly and economical way to give older tables, chairs, chests and sideboards a new lease on life.

After watching the upscale transformation of its longtime base in Baltimore's Federal Hill, antique furniture dealer Gaines McHale is preparing a move to Harbor East, the latest city neighborhood undergoing a transformation. "We wanted to be a part of a resurgence of the area," owner Jean McHale said of her company's new location in the E.J. Codd building at 700 Caroline St. The antique store, set to open Saturday, is one of several arrivals to the developing downtown neighborhood. The building already is home to Pazo, a Mediterranean restaurant, and a 9,000-square-foot spa and salon called Spa Sante.

A BIT OF ZEN 711 W. 40th St. / / 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday; 9:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday; noon-5 p.m. Sunday / / 410-662-5660; abitofzen.com ........................ MANNEQUINS DRESSED IN COSTUMES from around the world, drawings from Nepal and Thailand and pieces of antique Indian furniture give A Bit of Zen a bit of the exotic. "I like being an instinctive entrepreneur and working with space," says Marie Payzant, owner of the Rotunda boutique. The store offers clothing, jewelry, antique furniture and body care items for men and women.

A man already in jail awaiting trial in one burglary was charged yesterday with breaking into 30 more homes in the Ednor Gardens neighborhood and accused of stealing everything from jewelry to antique furniture.Anthony Edwards, 31, of the 1700 block of Abbotson St. is being held in the Baltimore City Detention Center in lieu of $27,000 bail. Police said that could increase after the suspect has another bail review hearing, which is scheduled for tomorrow on the new charges.Sgt. Frank Wagner of Northeastern District said investigators showed burglary victims photo lineups and matched paperwork that was filled in when items were sold at secondhand shops.

TODAY DAYLILY EXHIBIT See and purchase an array of daylilies at an exhibit and sale, noon to 4 p.m. today at Cylburn Arboretum, 4915 Greenspring Ave. The event is presented by the Free State Daylily Society. Free admission. 410-367-2217 or cylburnassociation.org. C-MART LIVE AUCTION There will be a huge live action of more than 200 complete lots of merchandise from C-Mart, 1000 Joppa Farm Road, Joppatowne, at 2 p.m. today. Folks can bid on home decor items, new and antique furniture, lighting, fixtures, appliances and lots more.

Talk about books! Two terrific educational, enlightening and entertaining examples that'll keep you busy for hours on end and that'll turn a knucklehead into a know-it- ll are "How to Speak Furniture With an Antique American Accent -- Buying, Selling and Appraisal Tips Plus Price Guides," by Jeanne Siegel, and "How to Speak Furniture With an Antique Victorian Accent -- Buying, Selling and Appraisal Tips Plus Price Guides," by the same author and appraiser.They...

You could call Denise Hull's customers obsessed.For years, they've come to the Calico Mouse in Annapolis in search of just the right gnome, mouse, angel, porcelain doll or Smith Brothers reproduction cookie tin to add to their collections."

A BIT OF ZEN 711 W. 40th St. / / 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday; 9:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday; noon-5 p.m. Sunday / / 410-662-5660; abitofzen.com ........................ MANNEQUINS DRESSED IN COSTUMES from around the world, drawings from Nepal and Thailand and pieces of antique Indian furniture give A Bit of Zen a bit of the exotic. "I like being an instinctive entrepreneur and working with space," says Marie Payzant, owner of the Rotunda boutique. The store offers clothing, jewelry, antique furniture and body care items for men and women.

Gallery owner Craig Flinner is bidding goodbye to the Charles Street space he has occupied for more than 20 years as he prepares to move to the Avenue in Hampden. Flinner is the most recent area gallery owner to move to Hampden's exploding art scene. In November, Terrie Fleckenstein moved her eponymous gallery and frame shop there after seven years in Towson. "It seems like Hampden is becoming a real arts center," Flinner says. "People think of it the way it was five or eight years ago but that's changing.

Every nook and cranny of the Shoppes of Unique Boutique is crammed with items for sale, ranging from locally made jewelry, purses and bath products to antique furniture and vintage dolls. But the 190-year-old rambling stone-sided building on Tongue Row in Historic Ellicott City also has something that is not for sale: a ghost named Cecilia. Because of Cecilia, the three-year-old store is featured on Howard County Tourism Council's Ghost Tour. That means Cecilia is getting attention, but so are the many artists and other vendors who sell their products at the Shoppes of Unique Boutique.

TODAY DAYLILY EXHIBIT See and purchase an array of daylilies at an exhibit and sale, noon to 4 p.m. today at Cylburn Arboretum, 4915 Greenspring Ave. The event is presented by the Free State Daylily Society. Free admission. 410-367-2217 or cylburnassociation.org. C-MART LIVE AUCTION There will be a huge live action of more than 200 complete lots of merchandise from C-Mart, 1000 Joppa Farm Road, Joppatowne, at 2 p.m. today. Folks can bid on home decor items, new and antique furniture, lighting, fixtures, appliances and lots more.

After watching the upscale transformation of its longtime base in Baltimore's Federal Hill, antique furniture dealer Gaines McHale is preparing a move to Harbor East, the latest city neighborhood undergoing a transformation. "We wanted to be a part of a resurgence of the area," owner Jean McHale said of her company's new location in the E.J. Codd building at 700 Caroline St. The antique store, set to open Saturday, is one of several arrivals to the developing downtown neighborhood. The building already is home to Pazo, a Mediterranean restaurant, and a 9,000-square-foot spa and salon called Spa Sante.

Riborg Hjordis Steger, who as a member of the Norwegian Underground helped smuggle Jewish refugees from war-torn Europe, died of heart failure Wednesday at her Hamilton home. She was 90. Born Riborg H. Brodahl, she was raised in Trondheim, Norway, and earned a degree in interior design and engineering from a Norwegian college. During World War II, she joined the underground movement that resisted her country's Nazi occupiers. "She lived in Oslo during the war and helped Jews who had to escape from Europe get into Sweden.

Visit the Hays House Museum on Sunday, March 11, at 1 p.m. for a rare opportunity to closely examine the timeless furniture at home in Bel Air's oldest house. The inaugural event of the Preserving our Past series at the Hays House features local furniture restoration expert Arthur Benser, who will engage visitors in a discussion about the historic construction and provenance of the major pieces in each room. The presentation also includes ways to determine the age of a piece of furniture through design and types of construction.

Would you restore an antique American tavern table whose maple finish is scarred by centuries-old wear and tear? Say "yes," and you might be sorry. "The finish on a piece of furniture is viewed by many people similarly to the way an archaeologist or historian views an archaeological site," says Leslie Keno, senior specialist in American furniture at Sotheby's auction house in New York. According to Keno, a frequent appraiser of American furniture on PBS' Antiques Roadshow, an antique that has sustained damage over the centuries may be more valuable because of its flaws.

By Claire Whitcomb and By Claire Whitcomb,Universal Press Syndicate | October 13, 2002

In these practical dot.com days, opulence is not a word that's thrown around readily. But if anyone's entitled to throw it, it's Nicholas Haslam, decorator to royalty, celebrities such as Ringo Starr and society in general. Haslam, who claims his favorite furniture finish is "glowering" (gold and silver rubbed together), has titled his new book Sheer Opulence (Watson-Guptill, $40). As you might expect, his look is luxe. Surprisingly, it's not over the top. Oh, there may be a faux chinchilla spread on the bed. And the bed curtains may be made of creamy white taffeta.